1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in drain systems for waste compactors. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements particularly suited for pad placed drain systems for automatically receiving liquid waste streams from waste compaction. In particular, the present invention relates specifically to an operating arm connected to a valve that automatically opens the valve during placement of the compactor on the compaction pad, and automatically closes the valve for transportation of the compactor.
2. Description of the Known Art
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, trash compactors are known in various forms. Manual drain valve systems are known on self-contained compactors. Manual systems have problems due to the driver error in forgetting to close the valves and thus dripping compactor juices onto the pad and/or streets, or the driver forgetting to open the valve when placing the unit onto the pad or use location such that liquid draining is not provided during the subsequent use of the device.
Patents disclosing information relevant to trash compactors and/or drainage systems include: U.S. Pat. No. 902,115, issued to Sharp on Oct. 27, 1908; U.S. Pat. No. 3,212,656 issued to Kamin on October 1965; U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,622 issued to French et al. on January 1966; U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,072 issued to Ord on April 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,453 issued to Lundy on March 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,309 issued to Foster on August 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,900, issued to Lackner et al. on May 30, 2000; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,022, issued to Paleschuck on Feb. 7, 2006. Each of these patents is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Most of these patents are cited in reference to U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,900, issued to Lackner, et al. on May 30, 2000 which is entitled Trash compactor with liquid disposal. The abstract reads as follows: A trash compactor having a compactor unit and a separable trash storage container is provided that accommodates liquid within the trash that is compacted. The liquid is admitted into a reservoir within the storage container of the trash compactor where it is isolated from the compacted trash. When the storage container is removed to a disposal site, the compacted trash is emptied and the liquid from the reservoir is also emptied at the disposal site. For trash that has a large volumetric quantity of liquid, an overflow tank may be provided in the storage container to receive the overflow from the reservoir within the storage container. The overflow tank may also receive liquid that accumulates in the compactor unit while the compactor is operating.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,022, issued to Paleschuck on Feb. 7, 2006 is entitled Aircraft Trash Management System. The abstract reads as follows: An aircraft trash management system including a, trash bag, a trash compactor, a modified bilge drain valve and an improved control valve assembly. The trash bag has a porous bottom and non-porous sides. The bottom of the trash bag is impregnated with a non-leaching antibacterial and a leaching enzyme. The trash compactor has two chambers separated by a movable wall. One chamber is the compacting chamber and is sealable from ambient cabin pressure and the other chamber is always open to cabin pressure. The bottom of the compacting chamber is provided with an upper drain and a lower drain. The modified bilge valve provides a fluid path to the atmosphere outside the aircraft. The inventor also relates to a central valve assembly for simultaneous compacting and draining.
From these prior references it may be seen that these prior art patents are very limited in their teaching and utilization, and an improved automatic drain trash container is needed to overcome these limitations.